Somalia: Economy Without StateInternational African Institute, 2003 - 206 pages In the wake of the collapse of the Somali government in 1991, a "second" or "informal" economy based on trans-border trade and smuggling is thriving. While focusing primarily on pastoral and agricultural markets, Peter D. Little demonstrates that the Somalis are resilient and opportunistic and that they use their limited resources effectively. While it is true that many Somalis live in the shadow of brutal warlords and lack access to basic health care and education, Little focuses on those who have managed to carve out a productive means of making ends meet under difficult conditions and emphasizes the role of civic culture even when government no longer exists. Exploring questions such as, Does statelessness necessarily mean anarchy and disorder? Do money, international trade, and investment survive without a state? Do pastoralists care about development and social improvement? This book describes the complexity of the Somali situation in the light of international terrorism. |
From inside the book
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... Table 5.4 shows price differences at several important market places , both Kenyan and Somali , involved in trans - border trade . For the most part the table is based on information from trader interviews in 1996 and 1998 , but not all ...
... Table 5.6 is based on the same cross - border market route , Afmadow- Garissa - Nairobi , that was discussed earlier in the chapter . A common traded animal , ' Quality 2 cattle , ' is used in the calculation of returns . The table ...
... Table 5.6 . As would be expected , the highest risks and costs in cattle trade involve the initial purchase and transport . The net return for the trader ( Trader 1 in Table 5.6 ) who buys directly from Somalia and sells at Garissa is ...
Contents
Introduction to a stateless economy | 2 |
A land of livestock | 22 |
The destruction of ruralurban relations | 45 |
Copyright | |
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